Software Testing Tools Blog – Testertools

Parasoft Corporation, industry leader in automated defect prevention and detection, today introduced a new release of Parasoft Jtest: the industry’s most comprehensive Java testing solution. Parasoft Jtest automates static analysis, unit testing, coverage analysis, runtime error detection, and code review.

Parasoft is recognized by software development professionals as the leader in software development lifecycle automation. By integrating software development management, quality lifecycle management, and dev/test environment management, we help teams deliver better software faster. Since 1987, over 10,000 companies — including 58% of the Fortune 500 — have turned to Parasoft to ensure that quality software can be produced consistently and efficiently. For more information, visit the Parasoft web site and ALM Best Practices blog.

The latest release significantly extends support for a variety of secure application development guidelines and compliance reporting (e.g., for CWE-SANS, OWASP, and NIST SAMATE). The extended coding guidelines are available for desktop, pattern-based, and data flow-based execution. The extended static analysis for security analysis works hand-in-hand with Jtest’s runtime error detection, which identifies security vulnerabilities that occur as the application is exercised during any automated or manual tests.

Moreover, Jtest’s desktop analysis optimizations slashes the time and effort required to find and fix critical defects — as well as confirms their successful removal. This helps teams ensure that the risks exposed by static analysis, unit testing, and runtime error detection are remediated rapidly and efficiently. Specific capabilities introduced include continuous static analysis, one-click retesting, quick mode, debug mode, and more.

Additional highlights of Parasoft Jtest 9.2 release include:

• Enhanced Spring support with static analysis and unit testing
• Enhanced Ant/Maven plugin facilitates continuous integration and testing
• Support for Eclipse JUnit launch configurations
• Redesigned metrics reporting

JCGs (Java Code Geeks) have released an article on common mistakes of Software Testing.

Seven mistakes of software testing lists a number of common mistakes that are made in each of the test phases.

Though most developers know the importance of testing, it seems that a lot of them still aren’t testing enough. And if they write tests, they test just test wrong.

UNIT TESTS

If some tests are written in applications, most of them will be unit tests. It’s easy to test a utility class by just calling all utility methods, passing some values and checking if the expected result is returned.

A first mistake arises here. Most people don’t think out of the box, or not enough. You can test that 1 + 1 =2 , that 2 + 1 = 3 and that 3 + 1 = 4. But what’s the benefit of doing almost the same test 3 times? It’s better to test the boundary cases. Are the arguments of the sum( ) method primitive types or Objects? If they are Objects, what happens if you pass null values? If an exception is thrown, is that the expected one? Does it clearly tell what the problem is?

JCG is an independent online community focused on creating the ultimate Java-to-Java developers resource center; targeted at the technical architect, technical team lead (senior developer), project manager and junior developers alike. JCGs serve the Java, Scala, Android, SOA, Agile and Telecom communities with daily news written by domain experts, articles, tutorials, reviews, announcements, code snippets and open source projects.

To read the full article visit Seven mistakes of software testing

Byteman is a tool which simplifies tracing and testing of Java programs. Byteman allows you to insert extra Java code into your application, either as it is loaded during JVM startup or even after it has already started running. The injected code is allowed to access any of your data and call any application methods, including where they are private. You can inject code almost anywhere you want and there is no need to prepare the original source code in advance nor do you have to recompile, repackage or redeploy your application. In fact you can remove injected code and reinstall different code while the application continues to execute.

The simplest use of Byteman is to install code which traces what your application is doing. This can be used for monitoring or debugging live deployments as well as for instrumenting code under test so that you can be sure it has operated correctly. By injecting code at very specific locations you can avoid the overheads which often arise when you switch on debug or product trace. Also, you decide what to trace when you run your application rather than when you write it so you don’t need 100% hindsight to be able to obtain the information you need.

When testing your application you can use Byteman to inject faults or synchronization code, causing your application to perform unusual or unexpected operations required to exercise a test scenario. Byteman provides a library of built-in functions which allow you to do anything from generating simple error conditions to propagating complex error flows which require coordinated actions in different parts of your application. However, you are not limited to these operations. You can inject almost any Java code into your application so long as the classes you refer to are in scope at the injection point. You can also replace or extend the available built-in functions by supplying a POJO (plain old java object) as a plugin. So, Byteman makes it easy for you to program even the most complex test scenarios.

Byteman works by modifying the bytecode of your application classes at runtime. Since it only needs access to bytecode this means it can modify library code whose source is either unavailable or unable to be recompiled. This even includes the Java code which forms part of the Java virtual machine, classes such as String, Thread etc. So, with Byteman you can trace what the JVM is doing on behalf of your application code or cause JVM classes like FileInputStream or Map to throw exceptions when your application calls them.

Byteman uses a clear, simple scripting language, based on a formalism called Event Condition Action (ECA) rules to specify where, when and how the original Java code should be transformed. An event specifies a trigger point, a location where you want code to be injected. When execution reaches the trigger point the rule’s condition, a Java boolean expression, is evaluated. The Java expression (or sequence of expressions) in the rule action is executed only when the condition evaluates to true. Normally execution continues from the trigger point once the inejcted code has been executed. However, rule actions may also throw an exception or force an early return from the triggering method.

Byteman 2.0.0 is now available for download under the GNU LGPL. It requires a JDK 6 or higher JVM. The release includes a user guide which documents the scripting language and explains how to use byteman to inject faults or tracing and monitoring code. There is also a tutorial showing you how to get started with Byteman and a follow-up tutorial explaining how to use Byteman to perform fault injection testing. See the documentation page for more information.

froglogic GmbH today announced support for the automated testing of Java Rich Client Platform (RCP) applications based on the new “Indigo” Eclipse 3.7 release.

Squish for Java is the leading functional, cross-platform GUI and regression testing tool for creating and executing automated GUI tests for Java SWT/RCP and AWT/Swing applications.

Squish itself, and all the tests created with it, are completely cross-platform, and work on Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS X, and embedded Linux.

Support for testing Eclipse 3.7 RCP applications with Squish is now available with the upcoming Squish version 4.1 (currently in beta).

“Squish is one of the most mature and popular GUI Test Automation Tools for Eclipse RCP/SWT GUIs. Supporting the test automation of applications built on the latest Eclipse release 3.7 – as well continuing to support those those built on older versions – is always a priority for us, as part of our ongoing commitment to the Eclipse platform.”, - Harri Porten, froglogic’s CTO.

Squish offers a versatile testing framework for GUI applications with a choice of popular test scripting languages (Python, JavaScript, Perl, and Tcl) that are extended by Squish’s own library of test-specific functions. Squish also provides open interfaces, several add-ons, integration with a variety of test management tools, a powerful Eclipse-based IDE that supports the creation and debugging of tests, and a complete set of command line tools that support fully automated test runs.

Squish is also ideal for use in organizations where a variety of GUI technologies are used, since in addition to the support for Java SWT/Eclipse RCP and AWT/Swing, Squish also supports the automated testing of applications based on other GUI technologies such as Nokia’s Qt, QML/Qt Quick, Web/DOM/HTML/AJAX, native Windows (MFC and .NET Forms), Mac OS X Carbon/Cocoa, iOS CocoaTouch and others.

If you are interested in evaluating or purchasing Squish for Java or any other Squish edition, please contact sales@froglogic.com or visit www.froglogic.com/squish.

The latest tool to be listed on testertools.com is Apache POI.

The Apache POI Project’s mission is to create and maintain Java APIs for manipulating various file formats based upon the Office Open XML standards (OOXML) and Microsoft’s OLE 2 Compound Document format (OLE2). In short, you can read and write MS Excel files using Java.

In addition, you can read and write MS Word and MS PowerPoint files using Java. Apache POI is your Java Excel solution (for Excel 97-2008). We have a complete API for porting other OOXML and OLE2 formats and welcome others to participate.

OLE2 files include most Microsoft Office files such as XLS, DOC, and PPT as well as MFC serialization API based file formats. The project provides APIs for the OLE2 Filesystem (POIFS) and OLE2 Document Properties (HPSF).

Office OpenXML Format is the new standards based XML file format found in Microsoft Office 2007 and 2008. This includes XLSX, DOCX and PPTX. The project provides a low level API to support the Open Packaging Conventions using openxml4j.

For more information on Apache POI visit testertools.com

froglogic GmbH today announced support for automated testing of Qt GUI applications based on the new Qt 4.7 release.

Squish is the leading test automation tool for cross-platform functional GUI regression tests that can test applications based on a variety of GUI technologies, including Nokia’s Qt Software Development Frameworks, Java SWT/Eclipse RCP, Java AWT/Swing, native Windows MFC and .NET, Mac OS X Carbon/Cocoa, and Web/HTML/AJAX. Squish stands out from other GUI testing tools by giving test engineers the freedom to record and write tests using familiar scripting languages such as JavaScript, Perl, Python, and Tcl. Furthermore, Squish provides extremely tight integration with the specific GUI technologies it supports. This gives testers unprecedented access to the internals of the applications they are testing (to data items, controls, and widgets, etc.), and also leads to the production of very robust and stable GUI tests.

Squish itself, and all the tests created with it, are completely cross-platform, and work on Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac OS X, and embedded Linux.

Support for testing Qt 4.7-based applications with Squish is now available.

“We are delighted to announce support for Nokia’s latest Qt release—including support for brand new technologies such as Qt Quick and QML. Our customers can upgrade whenever they are ready, safe in the knowledge that their Squish tests will continue to reliably verify their applications’ behaviors as well as any new Qt 4.7 features they start to utilize.” —Harri Porten, froglogic’s CTO.

If you are interested in evaluating or purchasing Squish for Qt or any other Squish edition, please contact squish@froglogic.com or visit www.froglogic.com/squish.

Three Rivers Consulting, Inc. today announced that JUnit Max (http://www.junitmax.com), a continuous testing plug-in for Eclipse, is now available.

JUnit Max enables programmers to stay focused on coding by running tests intelligently and reporting results unobtrusively. Available for Java projects, JUnit Max provides the benefits of automated testing every time you save source code.

“We were the first to offer a commercial, enterprise continuous testing tool, enabling programmers to improve focus and reduce overall development time,” said Kent Beck, founder and director of Three Rivers Consulting, Inc. “Customers tell us that our tools deliver great value by saving time in building and testing applications,” continued Beck.

JUnit Max simplifies and accelerates developer testing. It is a high-productivity alternative to existing brute-force test runners. JUnit Max takes advantage of the fact that failures are not randomly distributed to provide results, on average, more quickly than other test runners. The accelerated feedback helps programmers fix errors faster and learn to avoid mistakes in the future.

JBoss recently announced the final release of JBoss Tools 3.1, to compliment  Eclipse 3.5. The product is  classed as a  umbrella project for Eclipse plugins that supports JBoss and related technology. Newer features to JBoss tools include support for CDI, JSF2 BPEL and Smooks. Version 3.1 also comes with ESB support and Maven integration. The company says existing tooling for Hibernate, Seam and Portal have also been improved.

Installation

This is the official version of JBoss Tools that will run on and require Eclipse 3.5 (Galileo). When installing you can either use the remote Update Site or download the update site zip from the main Download for offline installation. In both cases you can pick and choose which plugins/features you want to install.

For some features other dependencies are needed. For example Maven integration requires m2eclipse 0.10. They have done what they can to enable the related update sites, but in case you disabled them explicitly you would need to add or enable them manually. If you have problems with the installation see this

x.Link is a Java J2EE performance profiler. Using byte code modification it has a minimal impact on running systems and can even be used in production systems.x.Link offers an alternative to commercial J2EE profilers.

For furture information on this product click here

View TesterTools dedicated page for this tool.

Today automated software testing plays a vital role in many software development and web application projects.  At XBOSoft, we specifically developed XBO ONE™ Test Automation methodology to deliver cost-effective automated testing for small companies.

It begins with our common sense approach of where and when to use automation. For example, tests that are run many times, such as build verification tests, regression tests, and tests that include many simple and repetitive steps are classic candidates for web application automated testing and software automated testing.  However, if an application or software is not yet stable, then it may make sense to postpone any automated testing efforts.  Automated testing should not be considered a replacement for manual testing, but rather an enhancement.

XBO ONE™ Test Automation Benefits

• Proven methodology that delivers significant cost savings for small companies.

• XBOSoft can quickly determine which parts of the application to automate and which are best suited to manual testing.

• Test automation expertise and proficiency for Windows, .NET, Java, web pages, web servers, web applications and web services.

• Proven experience working with a variety of tools, such as Rational Robot, Borland’s SilkTest, HP’s WinRunner and QuickTest Pro, Compuware, etc.

• Experience in testing multiple operating systems, databases, and application servers with automated test harnesses to rapidly switch platforms for maximum coverage.

XBO ONE™ Test Automation Methodology

XBO’s software automation methodology was developed with small companies in mind and an objective to significantly boost testing productivity while keeping costs and implementation efforts to a minimum. Key elements of our methodology are:

1. Ascertain software‘s suitability for automation.

2. Review Automation Checklist; such as:

a. Can the test sequence of actions be defined?

b. Is it necessary to repeat the sequence of actions many times?

c. Is it possible to automate the sequence of actions?

d. Are you testing non-UI aspects of the program?

e. Do you need to run the same tests on multiple hardware configurations?

3. Assign & Organize Testing Team .When multiple team members are automating tests, develop common scripting architecture, code, and objects for maximum productivity.

4. Utilize test script modularity framework where appropriate (ie. Create small, independent scripts that represent modules, sections, and functions of the application-under-test).

5. Manage automation process:

• Share and maintain test assets in XBO’s central application repository.

• Propagate script changes to all testers through XBO’s application repository.

• Track which test cases are automated and which are manual, and prioritize which cases get automated first for maximum results.

• Manage script scheduling and execution.

• Optimize the Test > Fix > Verify process to automatically push new defects into the defect tracking workflow.

• Compare versions of scripts for differences, merge changes, and store scripts with other development assets, such as requirements documents, test data, design documents, and source code.

View TesterTools dedicated page for this tool.